"Hey Emma, do you think I look like a stupid princess from a movie today?"
Emma turned to her friend with a frown. What a weird question to ask, right? In front of a nightclub, of all places. The two girls were in line, but it was slow enough that Emma could stop and look closely at her friend. The other girl was bathed in neon blue and pink lights, her full lips curved into a huge smile, but her beautiful emerald eyes were definitely glittering with tears. "Why're you being weird, Diana?"
"That's it! I'm Diana. Princess Diana," she said and gave a tiny twirl. Her silk, body-hugging dress shimmered. "Princess Diana gets cheated on and dies alone."
"Oh my God, Diana! What is it?"
Diana turned to meet her friend's eyes. "He's gone," she moaned. Her fake smile dropped off her face.
"What?"
"Alex. He's gone. And you know what else? All the money in our shared bank account is gone too." She covered her face with her hands and whispered shakily, "We were going to buy a house together."
And then they were at the end of the line. Emma took Diana to a mostly empty table inside the bustling nightclub and set a large drink in front of her. And Diana told her friend everything.
Diana Brooke decided to never trust men again. At 23 years old, she'd dated a line of men that were the worst specimens of the male species possible. Well, actually three. Three boyfriends and all of them
all of them!
were dirty, scamming garbage.
Her first boyfriend had been the joy of her innocent, teenage heart. He was hot, boyish and funny. He took her on thrilling motorbike rides. He also made off with Diana's entire college savings, making up a story about a sick aunt in another town. Months later, when he didn't call or anything, Diana found out that his parents had no siblings.
The second had been a colleague. Their romance had been like the movies – sneaking around the office to kiss in quiet corners. But then he'd taken all the credit for her project and gotten her fired. The betrayal had reduced Diana to a crying wreck for months!
And then, finally she'd met Alex. Alex, who was supposed to be the perfect one. Alex, who Diana had been sure would propose anytime now. She had dreamed about their wedding.
At this point, Diana told her friend, "He said the joint account was for our future." She grimaced and sipped her drink. It was her third margarita. "He said it would convince the real estate agents. They'd consider us a stable couple."
How could she not trust Alex? The man was a smooth talker, a silver-tongued snake. Plus, he was beautiful. From the moment he walked into her life, Diana had been helpless.
She'd been sitting at a restaurant, eating alone as she watched the rain pour down outside. Thoughts of umbrellas and calling for a car had been revolving around in her head. Then Alex came in and her mind became blank. It was as if the lightning from the storm outside had somehow struck her. He stood at the doorway, shaking rain water from his hair, rolling back the sleeves of his wet white shirt that was now almost transparent. Diana fell stupidly and instantly in love. When their eyes met and he moved towards her table, it felt like fate.
Now, as she felt the tears roll down her cheeks, she picked up another drink. Emma stared at the drink worriedly and said, "You know, he never seemed like a nice dude."
Diana glared. "You're telling me this now?"
Emma grimaced, clearly uncomfortable.
Diana didn't know what Emma was talking about. Their relationship was amazing! Alex had taken her on beach dates, the zoo, fancy restaurants. He wasn't rich, but he always listened and tried to do his best. And the way he kissed her…well, Diana didn't want to think about it. Not now.
"When we first started dating, he said that his workplace cafeteria sold terrible food and he could barely eat it. He said it tasted like dirt. So I made him lunch every day after that. I'd spend hours watching tutorials, prepping the ingredients. You know I've never had to cook at home. My parents would never let me. But now? I'm basically a 5 star chef," she laughed bitterly and took another deep gulp of alcohol. "Or a maid," she muttered.
Emma reached out and put a hand on Diana's drink. "Hey," she said, gently. "Maybe that's enough for tonight.
Diana's head was definitely spinning, but tonight was not the night for her to stop and be sensible. She brushed off Emma's hand and continued talking. "Did you know he got sick this year? Or at least that's what he told me. I showed up at the hospital too. And of course I paid all the medical bills. He looked so weak in the hospital bed, I told him not to worry. I said, ‘Baby, I'll pay for everything. I love you.' Do you think that's when he realised that I was gullible and rich? That I'd throw money at him if he asked? Only if he stayed. If he stayed maybe I'd still…"
"Where is he now?" Emma asked. "Did he leave the city or something?"
"No," Diana sighed. "He's right here in this city. I could probably go to his workplace right now and break everything in his tiny office with a bat."
